Water main break damages Eagle Road

Man meets his first biological family member after years of searching

How do police know what drug it is? They test in the field

Daniel Wittell, a senior operator with the Ada County Highway District, drives a snow plow along a few of Boise's major roadways and steeper streets Wednesday Jan. 4, 2017. Recent snowfall has kept the plows busy. Darin Oswalddoswald@idahostatesman.com

Daniel Wittell, a senior operator with the Ada County Highway District, drives a snow plow along a few of Boise's major roadways and steeper streets Wednesday Jan. 4, 2017. Recent snowfall has kept the plows busy. Darin Oswalddoswald@idahostatesman.com

Water main break damages Eagle Road

Man meets his first biological family member after years of searching

How do police know what drug it is? They test in the field

This video provided by Riley Elguezabal shows how the folks at Ricochet Home Consignment in Boise took care of the snow that had piled up in their parking lot. Provided by Riley Elguezabal

Another record: The 6.5 inches of new snow on Wednesday is the most ever recorded on Jan. 4, surpassing the previous high of 3.2 inches, set in 1951. And it ranks 15th among the heaviest one-day snowfalls recorded in this area since 1892, the National Weather Service reports.

Don’t expect that daunting snowcover to melt until Sunday, and it’s possible the snow total will go up a little on Saturday, when a new weather system moves in.

Once the snow stops falling, it’s going to get cold. Very cold.

The temperature in Boise could reach -4 degrees on Friday and the outlying areas could get as cold as -10 degrees, according to Korri Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. The valleys could range from -10 to -20 degrees. The predicted low in Fairfield on Friday is -28.

Water main break damages Eagle Road

Man meets his first biological family member after years of searching

How do police know what drug it is? They test in the field

Jay Breidenbach at the National Weather Service talks about Boise's snow depth record, subzero temps expected Friday and rain on the weekend. He spoke around 1:15 p.m. Jan, 4, 2017; later that day, NWS confirmed a new snow depth record for Boise. Katy Moellerkmoeller@idahostatesman.com

CRASH AND TRANSPORT REPORT

Valley Ride announced Thursday morning it has implemented its emergency snow “limited service plan” for its bus service to provide “basic regional connectivity.” Check the Valley Ride website for updates.

As of 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, its final crash report of the day, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office had tallied 105 slide-offs, 124 vehicles stalled or stuck in the snow, and 73 crashes, nine of which had injuries reported. A truck driver carrying bags of salt was cited for reckless driving when his semi overturned on I-84 Wednesday afternoon, clogging traffic.

Water main break damages Eagle Road

Man meets his first biological family member after years of searching

How do police know what drug it is? They test in the field

Above-average temperatures are expected this winter in the southern part of the United States, the Rockies and Hawaii as well as western and northern Alaska and northern New England. Some areas will see below-average temperatures. Provided by Climate.gov

HIGHWAY ROUTE CONDITIONS

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed I-84 eastbound and westbound between Pendleton (Exit 216) and Ontario (Exit 374) due to multiple crashes and slide-offs for much of Wednesday, and reopened westbound lanes at 10 p.m. By Thursday morning the eastbound lanes were open but with a weather warnings. Anyone heading into eastern Oregon on I-84 is required to carry chains and advised to check first for future closures or worsening conditions. Idahoans can call 503-588-2941 or go online to tripchek.

SNOW COULD DAMAGE YOUR ROOF

Continuing snowstorms and freezing temperatures over the past several weeks in the Treasure Valley have caused stress to roofs above attics with inadequate insulation or lacking proper ventilation.

METRO MEALS ON WHEELS NOT DELIVERING THURSDAY

Metro Meals on Wheels won’t be making home visits Thursday due to dangerous road conditions.

“We’ve never done this,” said Grant Jones, director of the group. “We just feel the safety of our employees and volunteers is paramount.”

The group delivers more than 900 meals each week day in Ada County. They will resume delivery of hot meals on Friday. As always on Friday, they will also deliver about 700 frozen meals for weekend consumption.

Jones said staff and volunteers had some trouble delivering on Wednesday but had no accidents or falls. Many who received the meals were extremely thankful, he said, and they urged those making the deliveries to consider taking Thursday off due to the inclement weather.

TRASH AND RECYCLING DELAY

Trucks for Republic Services may be slowed or delayed in their collection, according to the Boise Public Works Department.

If trash and/or recycling is not collected as scheduled, customers are asked to leave their carts out for service.

Republic Services plans to work Saturday to ensure all trash and recycling are collected this week despite the challenging road conditions.

STATESMAN DELIVERY MAY BE DELAYED

Because of the heavy snowfall and poor road conditions, Idaho Statesman delivery will likely be delayed in some areas Thursday.

Because of unplowed roads, the newspaper may be delivered to driveways on some routes rather than the normal delivery location. The carriers cannot reach newspaper tubes in some cases so papers might be in the driveway.